About Sarasota County
Sarasota County runs along Florida's Gulf coast from Longboat Key at the Manatee County line south past Venice to the Charlotte County line near Englewood, with a line of barrier islands, including Longboat Key and Siesta Key, between the Gulf and the mainland. Sarasota is the county seat, and the county has four municipalities: Sarasota, North Port, Venice and the Town of Longboat Key, which is shared with Manatee County. North Port lies in the south of the county and not on the Gulf. The Census lists a long set of unincorporated communities, such as Siesta Key, Osprey, Nokomis and South Venice, where Sarasota County, not a city, is the local government.
Inland, homes sit near the Myakka River, and the National Hurricane Center reported that the Peace and Myakka Rivers crested at record levels after Hurricane Ian in 2022, with significant flooding in Sarasota and other counties north of the storm's track. The National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key as a Category 3 hurricane in October 2024. The county's own storm planning uses lettered evacuation levels, which are separate from FEMA flood zones. USDA farm data list hay, vegetables, tomatoes, oranges and nursery stock as the county's main crops.
For a buyer, the first decisions are whether the address is on a barrier island or inland, which government covers it, and which housing office and flood rules apply.
Quick facts
- County seat
- Sarasota
- Region
- Southwest Florida
- 2026 conforming loan limit
- $832,750
- One-unit home · FHFA
- 2026 FHA loan limit
- $547,400
- One-unit home · HUD
- Geography
- Gulf shoreline from Longboat Key south past Venice to the Charlotte County line near Englewood
- Barrier islands including Longboat Key and Siesta Key
- Myakka River, which crested at a record level after Hurricane Ian
- Myakka River flooding that shut a portion of Interstate 75 in southern Sarasota County after Hurricane Ian
- Housing types
- Barrier-island condominiums and single-family homes
- Single-family neighborhoods in Sarasota, Venice and North Port
- Riverside and inland homes near the Myakka River
- Unincorporated communities governed by the county
Figures show their source and year. Confirm details with the county offices.
Housing in Sarasota County
Sarasota County's housing splits into barrier-island and mainland markets. On Longboat Key and Siesta Key, condominium and single-family homes face the Gulf, so wind, surge and elevation questions come first. Mainland neighborhoods in Sarasota, Venice and North Port, and unincorporated communities such as Osprey and South Venice, are shaped more by drainage and river flooding. Longboat Key straddles the Manatee County line, so the offices that apply depend on which part of the island a unit sits on.
Three government layers can apply to one purchase: a city or town, the county, and in some places a separate SHIP plan. The City of Sarasota has its own plan, while the county's housing office, called HERO, serves unincorporated areas. Manufactured and mobile homes are not eligible for HERO purchase help, so buyers of those homes look to other loan programs. An elevation certificate documents a building's height relative to the mapped flood level.
Financing in Sarasota County
Jumbo loans
This guide's quick facts show Sarasota County's 2026 conforming and FHA limits. On the barrier islands and along the water, a purchase may cross the conforming limit and become a jumbo loan, which lenders tend to underwrite with closer attention to assets, reserves and appraisal. Comparing options with a loan officer can also surface condominium or flood-zone issues that change the route.
Condominiums
On Longboat Key, Siesta Key and the mainland, condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more are on the state's schedule for milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies (s. 553.899 and s. 718.112, F.S.). Ask for the inspection summary, the reserve study, the budget and any special assessment, and ask a loan officer which loan types fit a building with open repairs. The county whose offices cover a Longboat Key unit also depends on its location on the island.
Flood zones and flood insurance
Sarasota County assigns each address a lettered evacuation level, separate from the FEMA flood zone, so look up both. Near the Myakka River, ask for the flood zone and any elevation certificate, since the National Hurricane Center reported record crests after Hurricane Ian. Federal law requires flood insurance for most mortgages on a building in a high-risk zone. Casey Key and other barrier-island land lie partly in the federal Coastal Barrier Resources System (see the CBRS Mapper). A System Unit location rules out FHA, VA and USDA loans under federal law, and federal flood policies are generally not offered for buildings constructed or substantially improved after the unit's prohibition date.
Homeowners insurance
A barrier-island condominium and an inland house near a river call for different insurance questions, so ask an agent for wind and flood quotes before making an offer. Roof age, window protection and the building's age can shape what an insurer offers. State grants through My Safe Florida Home can help eligible owners pay for approved wind upgrades after a mitigation inspection, depending on funding, and a new flood policy usually has a 30-day wait unless it is bought in connection with the mortgage.
Homestead exemption
The Sarasota County Property Appraiser offers online homestead filing, and the March 1 deadline applies. Ownership and permanent residence by January 1 are required. Because a sale generally resets the assessment to just value the next January 1, a buyer should not assume the seller's capped taxes carry over, while a buyer moving from another Florida homestead may be able to transfer all or part of that benefit as long as the new homestead begins within three years of January 1 of the year the earlier homestead was abandoned.
Property taxes
Longboat Key sits in both Sarasota and Manatee counties, so the county that appears on the parcel record decides which Property Appraiser, Tax Collector and exemption office applies to a unit. Ask a title or closing agent to confirm the parcel's county and any non-ad valorem assessments on the tax bill before closing. A buyer's first bill after a sale can differ from the seller's because the assessment resets.
Local homebuyer assistance
HERO, the county's Housing Enhancement and Redevelopment Office, runs SHIP loans for home purchase and repairs in unincorporated Sarasota County, and its page says manufactured and mobile homes are not eligible for purchase help. Florida Housing's list shows a separate plan for the City of Sarasota, and applicants are told to use the city contact first. For North Port or Venice, ask HERO or the city which program covers the address.
Cities, towns and communities
- SarasotaCityCounty seatCounty seat on the Gulf coast; Florida Housing lists a separate SHIP plan for the city.
- North PortCityCity in the south of the county, inland and not on the Gulf.
- VeniceCityGulf coast city in the south of the county; the county's shoreline continues south of Venice to the Charlotte County line.
- Longboat KeyTownBarrier-island town shared with Manatee County; the county of the parcel decides which offices apply.
Official local resources
- Sarasota County Property Appraiser
- Sarasota County Tax Collector
- Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court (property and land records)
- Sarasota County Emergency Management
- Sarasota County HERO, Housing Enhancement and Redevelopment Office (SHIP)
Links go to government offices, not to Mortgage by Ruben.
Sarasota County: common questions
5 questions
Who handles SHIP help if I buy in the City of Sarasota, North Port or Venice?
Sarasota County's HERO page describes SHIP loans for unincorporated Sarasota County. Florida Housing's list shows a separate plan for the City of Sarasota and tells applicants to use the city contact first and the county contact if the city is not listed. For North Port or Venice, ask HERO or your city which program covers the address before you plan around it.
I am looking at a Longboat Key unit. Which county's offices apply?
It depends on which part of the island the unit is on. The Town of Longboat Key spans both counties, and its own pages send residents to the Sarasota or Manatee County office depending on where they live on the island. The parcel record shows the county, and that county's Property Appraiser and Tax Collector handle exemptions and tax bills.
What do the lettered evacuation levels mean in Sarasota County, and are they flood zones?
The county assigns each address a lettered evacuation level for storm planning, and that is not a FEMA flood zone. A property can sit in a low evacuation level and still be in a mapped flood zone, or the reverse. Check the county's Emergency Management lookup and FEMA's Map Service Center, and ask for any elevation certificate.
What should I check on a home near the Myakka River in Sarasota County?
The National Hurricane Center reported that the Peace and Myakka Rivers crested at record levels after Hurricane Ian, with significant flooding in Sarasota and other counties. Look up the home's FEMA flood zone, ask the seller about any flooding and repairs, request an elevation certificate, and ask an insurance agent how the zone affects coverage before closing.
Can Sarasota County's SHIP loan help me buy a manufactured home?
HERO's page says manufactured and mobile homes are not eligible for purchase help, so the county SHIP loan will not fit that purchase. Other programs have their own manufactured-home rules about age, title and foundation. Talk with a loan officer about FHA, VA, USDA or conventional options for the specific home before planning around any program.
Loan programs to explore
- Down Payment Assistance ProgramsGrants and second loans that help with funds to close.
- Manufactured Home LoansFHA, VA, USDA and conventional options for manufactured homes.
- Condotel and Non-Warrantable Condo LoansFor condos and condo-hotels outside Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac project rules.
- Jumbo LoansFor loan amounts above the conforming limit.
Not sure which program fits? Try the program finder or run your own numbers in the calculators.
Browse all loan programsNeighboring counties
All 67 countiesLocal information on this page is general, comes from public sources and can change. Loan programs and eligibility do not depend on the county alone, and this page does not determine them. For current facts about a property, check official sources such as the county property appraiser or assessor and FEMA flood maps. This is not a commitment to lend, and program availability varies by lender.